What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo
Series: Into Shadow #4
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Pages: 31
Published By: Amazon Original Stories on 15th November, 2022
Format: Ebook
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon (not affiliated)
Book Synopsis:
The Fogg River Seminary, a girlsβ school in a small Illinois town, is supposed to be just another stop on Maryse and Vasylβs endless travels. Theyβve made lucrative use of Maryseβs βforeignβ looks in their melodramatic sΓ©ance actβand an act is all it is. Then, during their performance, a blizzard sweeps in and cuts them off from town completely. In the freezing halls, thereβs a voice speaking the secrets of the dead, and Maryse has no choice but to listenβ¦because this time, the voice is real.
Book Review
As part of my “Amazon Originals” Summer Project, I am reading through short stories published by Amazon. Β A spin wheel picked them at random, and I ended up with getting the fourth book in the ‘Into Shadow’ series. I hadnβt heard of this author before, so I was intrigued to see what I would think of their writingβ¦ Because I have Amazon Prime, the eBook was included, so I didn’t have to pay for it either.
I’d like to start off by mentioning that I am not typically a horror girly. However, I am trying to dip my toes into the genre through the novellas in this project. I wouldn’t say this book is scary enough to make it a horror, it’s more creepy and eerie in my opinion. With so little pages, Vo does a great job at creating the required atmosphere for this story. I honestly think this would’ve been so much better if it was a little longer or even a full-length novel.
I really enjoyed the main characters, both in who they were and the roles they both had to play within the plot. Again, I would’ve liked a little bit more in terms of their backstories. I found them really interesting and wanted to learn more about them. Due to page constraints, we don’t get to learn enough. The dynamic between them both was intriguing.
Pacing was good considering how short this story is. However, the ending felt a little too rushed for me, particularly as it was leaning into a crime and mystery element. I still had questions left unanswered, and some things werenβt clarified enough. The author cleverly called back to the title in the story, which I enjoyed and thought was well done. For plot itself, it was really interesting but again, I would’ve liked more of it!
Overall, if youβre looking for a quick eerie story to binge then Iβd say to give this one a go. Iβm looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer. This author’s writing has intrigued me so I may have to look into what other books they have written…
Leave a Reply